


Worlds Apart, Yet Still With You

by Aquamaris



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Celebrations, Festivals, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hawky Briefly Mentioned, Iroh Cameo, King Kui Cameo, Life Post-War, Missing your friends after spending all your time together, Nothing angsty, Original Character Cameo, Post-Canon, Post-War, Slice of Life, Slight Action, Snapshots, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28327155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquamaris/pseuds/Aquamaris
Summary: In the days, weeks, and months after the war is over -- snapshots of life with Team Avatar once all the action is over and done with. It's time to split up, but just because they're not together in body doesn't mean they aren't forever united in spirit.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Worlds Apart, Yet Still With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Freedom_Shamrock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/gifts).



> This is my gift for @freedom-shamrock on Tumblr for the ALTA Secret Santa event. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thank you to Lunalynxwood for proofreading this last minute for me!

Aang wouldn’t know how to describe the weeks after the war was unofficially over.

Everyone was okay when they all reunited, even though ‘okay’ was a relative term. Sokka had broken his leg and Zuko stumbled around with the traces of a terribly familiar lightning scar beginning to form on his chest. It was just enough to breathe in the scent of heat and charred wood, to be in the moment with the rest of them.

After that, there were still hidden pains no one talked about for a while. They stayed close, closer than they’d ever been in a while, maybe ever. The pain of not knowing for even hours, not knowing if the friends you’ve trusted with your life were even alive, always clung to the back of their minds with every meal. Each morning Aang would wake up, flailing his arms and trying not to cough on the faint taste of ash.

The others were always nearby though.

Maybe assigned to separate bedrooms inside the palace, but nearby enough.

But the weeks after the war was declared done, officially by the royal crown, were hard to swallow once everyone was making plans to split up.

If it was Aang’s choice, he wouldn’t let go at all. But it was hard to describe in the face of so many duties, so many obligations the Avatar had. In the end, he squashed the wriggling feeling in his chest and left the Fire Nation a month after Zuko’s coronation.

“Katara, I miss them already,” Aang complained, his voice catching in the wind and drifting to the ears of the only other companion he still had riding on Appa to the Southern Water Tribe.

“I know Aang, but it won’t be too long until we see them again,” Katara said gently, even though Aang could tell by the tone of her voice that she missed them almost as desperately as he did. It didn’t seem fair, but there was so much to fix and ever so many people to talk to.

Aang already missed the chatter of his friends and the bantering they had in between snatches of time before Sozin’s Comet. Now, without them, it left some sort of hole in his heart that he hadn’t realized it possessed. Some sort of longing just to see them again and reassure him that they were whole.

“Zuko’s going to be alright with the lightning scar?” Aang asked again, trying not to crack a smile at Katara’s lighthearted sigh.

“I already told you, we’ll be back in time to make sure he’s alright. I gave him strict orders not to overexert himself.”

“Yeah, but you know, what if we come back and —”

“Aang,” Katara said, cutting the Airbender off and causing him to jump. He didn’t realize she’d move on the back of Appa’s saddle so she was seated closer to him. “He’s going to be fine. They all are. We’re only going to be gone for a few weeks then we’ll be able to see them again for a little bit.”

“But Katara!”

“Come on Aang, we’re a few hours from home. Then we’ll make plans to head back.”

Aang nodded and decided he didn’t feel like dwelling on the issue that much longer. Appa kicked his tail again and the three of them continued on flying south as the sun carved a slow path through the skies above. Sometimes he’d let his head wander when guiding didn’t need all of his attention.

What came next?

Now that the war was over, there was reconstruction. And talking, so much talking Aang’s face already ached in anticipation of however many people he was going to meet. Not that he didn’t mind, it was just that he’d rather have more time in between the coronation and actually having to leave.

They reached the Southern Water Tribe just as the sun was setting, casting a forlorn twilight over the icy landscape, only traces of wispy clouds present to break up the entrancing sight. Appa landed in a snowbank while Aang and Katara jumped off to greet Hakoda. Everything was almost like they’d never left.

***

“Are you sure we have time to spare for this?” Bato asked, pinning Hakoda with an expectant look and crossed arms. “We’re in the midst of repairing the Tribe. We have weeks of work ahead of us.”

“Which is why this is the perfect time to hold a festival — everyone’s been working hard enough as it is. One day off won’t hurt,” Hakoda said.

“I think it’s a great idea!” Aang chimed in, bouncing in the air and zipping above Katara’s head. “It’ll help everyone to have a day to relax after all.”

“Like that time we went to Ember Island,” Katara added with a small pang, remembering the theatre play the saw. Aang laughed though, and she shouldered the memories in a more positive direction. Frequent correspondence with Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Toph helped a lot these days.

“Yeah! We can even put on a big performance and string up some lights. The kids will have a lot of fun,” Aang hummed, finally landing on an airscooter.

“Festivals never last one day,” Bato huffed, which was as much approval they were going to get from him. It elicited a whooping response as preparations were carefully made to keep it a surprise to all the other villagers from the Tribe.

And Bato was right, as he mentioned again when the kids somehow convinced Hakoda it was okay to have just one more day of amazing lights and ice sculptures. Aang spent hours, from morning until dusk, fixing ice with Katara and spinning marbles in his fingers in a desperate attempt to find anyone who would stare in wonder instead of telling him it didn’t compare to Katara’s water tricks.

Either way, both of them found themselves slipping through the weeks, lights still strung up and working through the massive amounts of repairs the Southern Water Tribe was due to have.

***

“Do you miss home?”

Zuko posed his question while sorting through the handful of scrolls that he had spread out on his desk. Over the last few weeks, they had piled up to the point where they had started spilling out onto the floor and into Toph’s monopoly on the new Fire Lord’s personal chambers.

Toph huffed a soft sigh, flicking a scroll so it was halfway across the room before crossing her arms. Even with the mountains of scrolls they had to resolve within a matter of weeks, she thought it would have beaten returning to Gaoling where her parents awaited her — especially not after last time. And even while the rest of Team Avatar had taken to resolving several problems elsewhere, she resolved that no feelings would lead her back there.

“I’m sure my parents are doing fine without me,” Toph responded, scowling when she felt someone approaching the closed chamber doors. Probably another messenger to drop off scrolls or insist that Zuko eat eventually.

That reminded her that her friend, still unmoving in his chair, probably needed to eat.

“They haven’t tried to contact you?” Zuko asked, making Toph frown. There was something she couldn’t quite place in his voice, even when he made a grunt of frustration.

“Why?”

The sound of a brush on parchment before Zuko responded. “You know… everyone else had business to take care of, you’re not required to stay here if you don’t want to.”

“That’s rough Sparky, you don’t need my help anymore?” Toph jabbed, nevermind the fact that she wasn’t much help when all he’d been doing these days were pouring over scrolls and attending meetings with the other ambassadors. She looked up suddenly when Zuko fumbled with his brush and ended up knocking the rest of the pot of ink onto the rest of his desk.

“Sorry, uhm, no that’s not what I mean,” Zuko said, trying to sound apologetic but caught between a huff and a sigh at the same time. From his movements, Toph could tell he was trying his best to get the mess cleaned up.

“Whatever you say your Fieriness, but hey, let’s take a break for lunch?”

The doors banged open, unapologetically, with Uncle standing on the other side, a tray of tea and a platter of food in hand.

***

“Sparky!” Toph shouted, sending a burst of earthbending in Zuko’s direction at the same time the courtyard was overwhelmed with three other firebenders. She widened her stance and wordlessly brought forth another spiral of stone, sending one of the assassins flying.

To her right, she could feel the intensity of Zuko’s flames burning through the air. He kept close to her even though she could feel the attackers through her element. They traded blows, but Toph always kept a few steps ahead of them, shooting rocks and reshaping the flagstone.

Heartbeats picked up in the dead of night and Toph crushed the last of the firebenders, binding his wrists together with rock to keep them from going any further. Now she was glad she'd stayed up to look for Zuko company.

“They took out the guards,” Toph said, feeling the slumped and knocked out forms of four palace guards just right outside the walls. She scowled, knowing that they couldn’t have hired any more since the risk of an invader was still too high. Toph whirled around when she felt Sparky’s heart give a little jolted jump.

“What is it?”

“I — I think I might have messed up the wound.” A wordless ‘again’ hung in the air. “Before, when we saw the other two.”

“Shit, Zuko —”

“Toph, I’ll be fine, I — let’s just go to the infirmary,” Zuko muttered, reaching out to lean on his friend for support. He hissed several times on the way there, letting Toph know she might have been a little too rough while trying to offer further support. Even a few weeks after Katara’s last visit hadn’t been enough time for Zuko’s wound to have healed entirely.

The palace was pin-drop silent and it made the short trip somehow worse. Although Toph could tell Zuko hadn’t been lying necessarily, she could feel every vibration of his heart and the shaking in his fingertips just from when he brushed his hand near her shoulders.

“Hey, wake up! Sparky lord over here needs medical attention!” Toph shouted as soon as the infirmary doors were open, jolting one of the nurses awake. As soon as she was coherent though, Zuko was being corralled into a bed and examined for further injuries.

“Where are the guards —” one of the nurses asked frantically.

“They’re still out front, none of the assassins are left though,” Toph said, not bothering to keep up with the nurse’s nervous chatter before taking a seat. Now that the action was over, she could focus on how the assassins found their way into the palace.

“I thought we got them all last week,” Zuko said quietly, trying not to overly agitate his chest now that the adrenaline rush was gone.

“Appearly not,” Toph said, clapping her fists together. “They’ll be sorry. Again.”

“Please don’t give anyone else heart attacks,” Zuko said. “I think the palace staff has just gotten over the last one.”

“Well,” Toph hummed, “then don’t be giving me any. Why’re you wandering outside anyway?”

Zuko didn’t respond right away and Toph wondered briefly if it was more personal than she’d initially assumed when she’d found him out in the courtyard. The silence stretched and Toph moved to get seated more comfortably.

“It’s been almost half a year since the war ended.”

“Yeah? So what?”

“I — it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen Sokka’s hawk,” Zuko relented and Toph huffed.

“They’re fine. Last I heard they were passing through Omashu. They’re in pretty good hands over there, at least that’s what Aang said.”

Zuko didn’t say much else and Toph didn’t blame him for feeling the gaping hole more than ever. Correspondence and brief run-ins were all they had for the past few months and even Sokka mentioned he was getting a touch too busy to send Hawky out at every chance.

“We’ll hear back from them soon,” Toph said, confidently after remembering Sokka’s last letter fondly, something Zuko had to help her with.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Zuko said. Toph could tell his heart wasn’t into it.

“Well, hey, let’s just celebrate this for now. You beat up, three firebenders and if they don’t know where to keep their business out of, it’s their loss.”

“Thanks Toph.” Zuko shifted and the two of them waited for the nurse in amicable silence.

***

Even though it’d been several months since Team Avatar had really been together, Sokka could feel their presence while traveling through the Earth Kingdom. Helpful little signs to remember that they were there and that they had been there recently. Aang’s efforts to help maintain peace between people often resulted in mutual understanding and Zuko’s efforts to rebuild were carrying on sluggishly.

Each of their imprints was there, and Sokka kept going.

While traveling with Suki, on foot or by ostrich horse, Sokka still found himself reaching out to ask Katara for directions or to steady himself, like his body had forgotten it was on stable ground instead of flying through the clouds. Suki would always laugh, helping him — reminding him — that there was a purpose for leaving too. Each town they passed through was a reminder too.

War-torn villages always needed help.

And even though both of them offered a helping hand for a day, that hadn’t been what they were really there to do. Yet, Sokka couldn’t turn a blind eye and it took them weeks to reach Ba Sing Se where King Kui was waiting for them.

“Yes, well, thank you for coming,” King Kui said, sitting at his throne as Sokka and Suki were admitted into the hearing room. “But, uh, where’s your Earthbending friend? I was told she’d be accompanying you.”

Sokka winced and shrugged his shoulders. “Toph? Yeah, she’s back at Capital City, we’re trying to help out as much as we can.”

He wasn’t even sure what Toph was doing, since it seemed she just didn’t want to return to the Earth Kingdom at all. But ultimately, it had been her decision to stay and no one could have moved her even if she wanted to.

“So you got us!” Suki said and King Kui nodded his head, still pleased even though he seemed conflicted.

“We really needed an Earthbender to put together a new school though,” King Kui said and shook his head before giving the two of them a thankful smile. “But you’ll have to work without one then. Meling, oh he’s one of the teachers, will tell you what still needs work.”

And with that, the two of them were off to the Lower Ring searching for the unfinished school building and this Meling person. King Kui had assured them that he wasn’t hard to miss, being the only other Earthbender on the job, yet the narrow streets turned them around more than once on their way. The school itself turned out to be a small building, barely even two stories high and crumbling in several different corners.

“Oh, finally, I see our King graces us with the help of his friend the Avatar — wait, you’re not the Avatar.”

There was a rumble of rock being pushed aside before a lithe man revealed himself in faded teacher’s garments and a thin layer of dust. He was busy trying to remove most of it from his face, which folded itself into a crumpled look of confusion.

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered, finally pinning Sokka with a whip-thin glare. “This all the help a poor professor gets?”

“Hey! We came here to help,” Sokka protested. Meling sniffed and shoved a boulder out of the way before shaping it into the wall.

“Fine, let’s put you two to work then.”

***

“And in celebration of the brand new school,” King Kui exclaimed, holding up a small cup, “Thank you, Professor Meling, Sokka, and Suki.”

There was a small scattered applause from those in attendance, but most seemed disheartened from the professor who was obviously dozing off near King Kui’s left. Sokka smiled though and cheered with the King until only small talk and murmurs about the future of the Lower Ring was left.

“Thank you two so much for helping us out here,” a woman said cheerily, walking up to Sokka and Suki before giving a little bow. “Meling would have worked himself into the ground doing it alone so I appreciate it.”

“Glad to help,” Suki said. “This will be the last night we’re here, then I think it’s time to head back to Kyoshi Island.”

The woman nodded and left to go chatter with some of the other professors from the new school. It hadn’t been easy to recruit a handful of them, but in the end, the three of them had managed to convince several new teachers to attend to the students.

“Hey, do you think Aang would like this?” Sokka asked with a laugh, holding up a small dish of custards for Suki to inspect.

“Sure, but Sokka, you can’t send those through Hawky — you know he’ll eat them all,” Suki said with a gentle laugh which grew a touch louder when Sokka gave her a disbelieving look.

“You don’t remember? The anniversary of the end of the war’s coming up. We’ll get to see everyone by the end of the week!” Sokka shouted, deciding to plate the rest of the custards for Aang while he talked. Suki’s eyes widened, having lost track of the days since they had left Kyoshi Island last. It certainly wasn’t every day where Sokka was telling her about something she had forgotten.

“Well, I guess we’re just going to have to swing by Caldera City on our way to Kyoshi Island again,” Suki hummed.

***

Aang was practically bouncing on his feet when he, Katara, and Appa landed on the flagstone steps of the royal palace. He was the first one out of the saddle, using both his overwhelming energy and airbending to land gracefully on his feet. Practice in all four elements had only sharpened his abilities over the last year and he couldn’t wait to show Toph what he could do now.

“Aang, slow down,” Katara said. Aang only laughed more, brighter than the first few weeks where they tethered to the Southern Water Tribe assisting with repairs and getting to know everyone.

“Where do you think Zuko is? Oh, do you think Sokka and Suki are already here? There are so many people!”

Katara tilted her head in agreement, patting Appa on the head before entering the palace courtyard where the celebrations would be held. It spilled out onto the streets of the Caldera and even reached the industrial district where citizens set up stands of dishes, trinkets, and several demonstrations of firebending. Taking Appa had flown them past all of that, but on foot, it would have taken much longer.

Hopefully, Sokka and Suki would be able to find their way to the palace quickly.

“Aang! You can’t just airbend your way above everyone!” Katara called when she realized the Avatar wasn’t at her side anymore.

“Why not? It’ll be faster!”

Aang proceeded to take off into the air, leaving Katara to catch up and causing people to complain about the terrible draft that had suddenly appeared. When she finally caught up with him, she didn’t have time to react before she was enveloped in a gentle hug. It seemed almost hesitant, but it was warm and familiar in a way.

“Zuko!” Aang shouted and joined the two of them. It wasn’t long before Zuko protested to a punch to his shoulder and Katara smiled when Toph appeared through the thick of the crowd to give her a half embrace.

“Toph! Look at what I can do now!” Aang widened his stance and pushed his feet, rocking the stone gently before carving away a rough replica of the six of them.

“Glad you've been practicing Twinkletoes,” Toph laughed. “But you’re going to have to work harder if you ever want to catch up with me!”

Toph took up a stance and moved to make something infinitely more complex when Zuko groaned about the two of them destroying imperial property.

“Hey, guys!”

“Sokka!” Katara shouted. Before she knew it, the two of them were embraced in a hug. It hadn’t even been that long since they’d seen each other, but even after a year, Katara couldn’t completely shake the feeling of having Sokka by her side.

“How was the Earth Kingdom?” Toph asked, crossing her arms with a huff when the flagstone crumbled back into its normal shape.

“It was great!” Suki said with a gentle smile. “The Kyoshi Warriors are doing well back on the island. And we got to talk to King Kui back at Ba Sing Se.”

“I think some of them ended up coming to the celebrations here too — I’ll introduce you guys later,” Sokka said.

Aang smiled, bright and as warm as that day he and Katara first went penguin sledding. Even though the celebrations continued on, with a slight hum now that the Avatar and his friends were here, Aang was lighter than he’d ever been in forever.

“Aang, you have that goofy smile on your face,” Katara said, fully well knowing that she was wearing one that was almost identical to his.

“I know,” Aang said with a laugh. “I’m just glad we’re all here with each other now.”

“Me too,” Suki said.

“I’ve missed you guys,” Zuko added and reached out to embrace everyone one last time before the true heart of the celebration was on its way.


End file.
